Niccarra Draper
by high sage
Summary: this is about Numair's baby sister and how she gets in trouble for helping him escape
1. Author's Notes

Dear Readers:  
  
This an unsual fanfic constiering it has well maybe two of tamora piere's charaters in it. But I promise there willl be plenty more. This is a colaberatory project with a group of my friends and I wanted someone to read this and R&R me please if you like it, if not do the same.  
  
High Sage  
  
P.S. this has orignional idea's in it so if a character doesn't have a Tamora ring to it it is mine. 


	2. Blinded

"Hello again" A man dressed in dark colors stepped out from the shadows.  
  
The young girl spun her eyes wide and a scream on her lips. " Ozorne!! I..I.. left you-"  
  
"Yes, to die alone in my rooms, but you forgot one thing my precious little thief." He was so close to her that she could smell his sweat. " I don't die, I'm the Emperor mage-"  
  
"Go shove you title up your-"  
  
"Take her away!" The girl dove, avoiding the guards and punched the emperor in the stomach and ran down the hall. " Get her, get Niccrra Draper!"  
  
***** ******  
  
Niccarra looked up at the stars through the grate of her prison. How foolish she had been to help her older brother who was now gone. Her mother had helped him escape but now that she was capture she was on her own. Family rule "You get caught you're dead." Her mother's words repeated over and over in her mind, she was dead.  
  
The door opened and the emperor in his full glory stood in front of her. " She looks injured. what did I tell you about injuring her captain."  
  
"She resisted, my emperor, we had to resort to this with her magic and all." The man grunted as he was punched by the man behind him and fell to the floor.  
  
"No one fails me, do you understand me? Lock him up." the man was dragged away and the soldiers left leaving Ozorne and the girl alone.  
  
"Well, thief, what should be done with you? What torture would make you reveal your secrets?"  
  
"None my lord, because unlike your spies I don't double cross. My secrets will go to the grave with me."  
  
The man laughed kneeling beside her, " I've always thought you were brave, foolish but brave. You would have made a wonderful wife for me." Niccarra spit in to his face, he chuckled and slammed his lips onto hers. "You know I could take you right here and now. No one would ever know. No one, my little thief." He threw her to the ground laughing, " Not now, but by the end you'll be begging me."  
  
Niccara laughed " I'll beg you when we're in the black gods hands!" The man shut the door with a bang leaving her in the dark only to look up at the stars.  
  
***** ******** *******  
  
Nia stood proud in her chains as her sentence was read off, she could see her mothers pale gold eyes in the crowd. She was crying, her father wasn't there but had he ever been. There was noting that she could do, her mother, she wished her mother a farewell and followed the man off the stage.  
  
****** ******* ******* ******  
  
Ozorne was waiting for her when she entered the dark room, " Master Lorenzo Sharppike do you job. " the man stepped forward his eyes glancing from side to side nervously. Niccarra planted her heels in the ground resisting the guards, her eyes transfixed on the crucifix in the center of the room. She could hear the man talking with the emperor.  
  
" My liege I have prepared this for a adult not a child, it could kill her." Nia let out a little moan as the bigger guard picked her up and placed her on the form. He smiled gently at her as a father would to a daughter.  
  
"It will hurt only for a little bit, only a bit I promise." The man's words were no comfort to the girl and she struggled harder.  
  
" TEN YEARS!! I can't do that!"  
  
"You will to her or you will to your own daughter do you understand me!" Nia screamed biting the man's arm, the other guard slapped her hard making her see stars. " Stop that, do it Sharppike!" the man sighed and walked over to the girl who now lay silent on the wood her eyes glazed.  
  
" Forgive me child," the man shook his head with disgust and began the spell.  
  
Ozorne knelt near to Niccarra's ear. " Remember that once you have time to learn your place, you can beg forgiveness and I shall grant you all that you wish. Anything my little thief, clothes, horses, slaves. all that you could see."  
  
" Go to hell, I swear that I'll never-" then she began to scream.  
  
Waking for the first time was unusual, she knew she was awake but the darkness was defining, sitting up she began to breathe hard, eyes wide she rolled out of the bed and began to moan feeling for her eyes. " What did you do, how... how.. how.. ORZONE!!!!" her voice echoed in the room.  
  
Later, touching and feeling her way around the room she discovered her worst fear, no exit, no food, no air.  
  
Standing she began to hum a soft song, the door clicked open and the emperor entered, she could smell his artifiacl sent and hissed a warning to him.  
  
" Niccarra it is time to learn humility." Two pairs of strong hands grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out of the room.  
  
The crack of the whip kept time to her screams and whimpers of pain. Her eyes still shed tears even if they shed no light on the world. " Say it and I'll release you, you've gone through so much."  
  
"Go to HELL!!!" she screamed as salt water was dumped over her open back. Then her world became darker with sleep. 


	3. The Lady

The darkness proved to have its benefits to where Niccarra was destined to go. Mourning the loss of her sight and nursing her whip lashes kept her out of sorts and unaware of her surroundings.  
  
And they did change, from the city of the emperor to the Carthaki dessert. If she noticed the change in the moisture in the air or the bustle of the streets she gave no hint to the guards. She sat in the saddle calm, silent and aloof from the rest of the world. Inside she was in constant turmoil. Without her sight she was discovering that her other senses were more alive. Touch was the first startling revelation, she reached for the reins and could feel the roughness of the rope and knew the design by touch. Next came hearing, the men continuously whispered in her presence but now she could easily hear them.  
  
" Our job is to take her to Tajha get paid and leave not to care if she can see or not." One of her guards told the other when they though she was asleep.  
  
" It an't right to sell her off like that, it is not right."  
  
" Shut up and take the watch!" the rougher man said shoving the younger to the ground. Nia shuddered with the though of being sold and curled into a tighter ball crying silently.  
It was several weeks before the small party arrived at a small village, the bustle of the city confused the girl, a headache soon followed. There seemed to be an abundance of calling merchants and clinking chains. Cold fear ran down Niccarra's back- slaves- she was going to be sold. One of the guards tugged on the leather strap that hung around her neck making her move. With her hand extended she felt blindly in front of her, she tried to stay up right.  
  
She heard laughing when she tripped over a box and went sprawling into the dust. The guard with her tether lead kept walking, dragging her for several feet before he let her get up.  
  
The air seemed to cool instantly, the noise of the market was quieted making Nia guess they had entered a house or a private shoppe. " Master Tajha, I have your new recruit." They shoved her into the center of the yard where the sun still beat down and bowed out.  
  
" Thank you gentleman my man will pay you for you efforts." Niccarra turned toward the woman's voice, she had been sold to a WOMAN! Hope rose only for a moment. Nia heard a skickening twist of bones breaking and then a grunt from her guards. " Dispose of the bodies. bring me the girl." Nia again had the unsavory experience of being grabbed by two pairs of strong hands. 


	4. Taining

Nia was surprised by the care given to her after she met with her lady. The woman laughed at her when she saw that her eyes had the milky look of blindness to them. " Blind. well I have always enjoyed a challenge." The woman smelled of cinnamon and mint and a number of bath salts but she never allowed Niccarra to touch her.  
  
The woman ordered her cleaned and new clothes given to her so she could commence her training.  
  
Stitting alone in the room given to her by the other slaves Nia sat and cried. Homesickness had caughten up with her, she missed her mother's voice singing old Thak songs to her, her brothers, Marcus the army captain and Arram the black robe. She missed his quiet spells and his talent for juggling and slight of hand. She missed her father least of all, in fact she didn't miss him. It was his falt she was here and Arram was alone in . well somewhere.  
  
Quickly Niccarra said a prayer to the gods to protect her brother and on second thought to protect her as well.  
Her training began the next day; Nia was led out into the yard. Stiff with fears she waited to the man to begin to auction her off but instead she hear the ring of steel on steel. The breeze shifted giving Nia a whiff of her lady's perfume.  
  
" Welcome Niccarra to my school, do you know what it is?" the woman's voice held authority in it that Nia recognized as power.  
  
" No master I do not." The woman laughed.  
  
" I train fighters Niccarra, and you will be my first blind trainee." Nia bowed some of her fear gone. " Tell me your previous training, can you read, write?"  
  
" Master I can read and write in several languages. Not that it matters much anymore." The woman did not answer so she continued, " I am also gifted, I only have six years of training but my brother is a black robe and they told my mother that I have the potential to become one too. I know how to use daggers and a little sword not much else." The woman's scent was back as was her ring of jewelry.  
  
" Wonderful, you are a gift Niccarra, and the emperor let you go!" she clapped her hands and the yard went silent, " This is your new trainee she will be trained just like you have, no special treatment because she is unable to see." Nia could hear murmuring and people shifting from foot to foot. " Have fun my dear." The lady whispered and walked away leaving her with the trainee's. 


	5. Freedom

" Faster Sherni!" the woman bellowed at Nia, how immediately began to pick up the pace of the drill. It had been close to seven years to get her to be able to perform like the others who had been sold or bought their freedom already, leaving Nia as the longest standing trainee.  
  
She didn't mind though, with the training that she had been receiving she was the best and most valuable slave here, she had talent the woman said. And she was right, Nia's gift helped her in sensing the attacker and the rest was her good reflexes toned by the day in and day out training.  
  
The sand shifted slightly making her turn, she couold hear the hiss of the blade as it descended above her head. Raising her staff she hear the crunch on steel into metal, then while her opponent was trying to tug out his blade she kicked him firmly in the stomach. Reaching into her sleeve she pulled out her dagger and waited for him to move. He did which gave her the opportunity to move into a crounch and then sweeping out her leg she tripped him. Waiting she extended her magic out so she could feel for life force, her attacker lay still on the ground, his breathing slight but he was alive.  
  
" A test lady, why?" Nia stood and turned toward the woman, " A new recruit against me, I could have killed him."  
  
"And you nearly did Sherni, I applaud you though no knife marks." Nia bowed trying to hide her smile, even if she was her owner it was nice to have praise.  
  
" How much gold do you have?" the question startled Niccarra slightly but she regained her composre quickly.  
  
" thirty- five pices lady" the woman sniffed and walked away, Nia followed curios.  
  
" From your commissions as a mage I take it." The woman began to climb the stairs as Nia groped for the wall.  
  
" Yes lady, I never did get to thank you for the teacher, did he tell you of my progress?" they entered a small room that had become Nia's study.  
  
"Yes, you need to take the sorcerer's ordeal and you could potentially be a black robe, I believe congratulations are in order. And I have a gift for you." Nia knelt waiting.  
  
" Hold out your hands Sherni, palms down." Nia did as she said wondering what she was going to receive. The woman began to mutter, it was a spell; Nia's wrist became hot and then cool as her slave cuffs fell to the floor. " You are free, but would like you to stay here and be a trainer." Nia nodded her eyes filling with tears.  
  
" I don't know what to say."  
  
" Then don't say a thing, go your first trainee's are here." Nia smiled and stood rubbing her now free wrists.  
  
* Sherni means tigress 


	6. Lucian

Nia was restless today, no new slaves were due till the end of the week and she had already worked out with the others. Being unable to read made her near insane, and everyone else was in the village for the festival. Deciding that today would be as good as any to go for a walk she put on her cape and went out into the spring rain.  
  
Nia always avoided the village; the people there were very superstitious and didn't like her eyes. So she took the long way out and around the village and out into the desert, hearing laughing she wandered toward it thinking she recognized some voices.  
  
" Can't believe you kept this prize away from the Tajha, he'll sell for quite a bit of money." Nia came to a halt and listened, frowning.  
  
" Yeah, why won't he stand up, he looks sick."  
  
"Naw he's not human, the man I got him from says he's a dragon, iron hurts them I guess." This wasn't right, Nia stiffened, her mistress was being cheated!  
  
Stepping into the open she cleared her throat. " Gentlemen I think you have just made a grievous mistake." The men became quiet; recognizing her as the Tajha's pet they took up their arms and attacked her.  
  
Needless to say she won against the untrained men leaving two out of the four dead and the others unconscious.  
  
Finished with that she called out, " Hello, who ever you are, call out and I'll shackle you with better things than iron." Nia heard something shift in the sand, a body and immediately began toward it, " I won't hurt you." Her feet ran into something hard, reaching down Nia touched human flesh. Feeling further she found his head and neck. He was alive and conscious, but barley.  
  
" There are five." his voice was raspy, and hard to hear.  
  
" What, five what." Nia undid the iron shackles, it was the last thing she remembered. 


	7. Debt

Something cold and wet was placed on her fore head imedatliey waking Niccarra. There were voices in her room, the Tajha was there but there was a new person, his sent was almost metallic and very different. " I am in her debt and would like to care for mistress alone." His voice was light, it seemed to swril around the room in almost music like fashion. Nia listened as the Tajha bowed her way out leaving her with this man. She could feel him move nearer to the bed, mind racing she reached under the pillow for the knife that she had hidden there. " I hope you don't mind mistress, I took the knife. I don't like being stabbed at." He seemed to think it funny and laughed, "you fight like a devil, did you know that, and blind devil but still a devil." Sitting up she reched out for him, her hand came in contact with his arm, the man was unmoving as she began touching his face and hair. " What's your name?" "Lucian" he seemed closer than before, something trembled in her stomach. " No last name" "No just Lucian." Nia knelt her hands still pressed to his face, fingers tracing his eyebrows and nose. " Why did you help me, I can give you to rightful owner the Tajha." The man took her hands in his and sighed. "I never was a slave, just a traveler who made the wrong enemy. You can't give me to her besides I belong to you until my debts repaid." Nia pulled back wanting with all her might her sight back so she could see this mans face. "How are you in my debt, I did nothing." He leaned close his breath tickling her ear, " you saved my life and for that I must repay you a hundred fold." He was pressing something into her palm, something that was making her dizzy-sleepy. "Dream rose-" she fell into his arms as her eyes fluttered shut. " Forgive me mistress but you must sleep, and I must hunt." 


End file.
